We'll Eat, Drink and Enjoy Life…it's a Gift

No, I do not mean that dancer in the “Champagne Room”. (her real name isn’t Bubbles and there is NO champagne)

And while those soapy bubbles you can play with bring back some nice memories, I am not referring to them either. Unlike “Bubbles the Dancer”, I imagine most of us really do have fond memories of those soapy bubbles that came in a small bottle. They would come with a little wand you could dip in the liquid, then blow and make your own bubbles. Or wave through the air. These often found their way into our Easter baskets when we were kids. It was almost a guarantee that eventually somebody would knock over, or spill some of the soapy liquid…and hopefully you were outside when that happened.

Nice memories, blowing bubbles.

Laughing.

Trying to see how long your bubble would last and how big you could get it. How high it would float before it “popped”. Sometimes, two would be joined together, like Siamese twins. They also had those big wands with a “plate” in which you poured the liquid…dipped the large wand in the liquid…and you got bigger, maybe multiple bubbles.

Yea, fun.

But these are still different bubbles I am referring to.

But first, do you remember the Easter baskets and the Easter egg hunting? I do. More fun.

I remember them in my youth growing up…in the eyes of my sons while they were growing up…and I can still enjoy them. Even though we are all a little older, and still growing up, we still have the Easter egg hunts. Just a few differences tho’…

Difference #1. When the boys were younger, they got baskets for Easter. These were usually filled with jelly beans, marshmallow eggs and bunnies, a chocolate bunny, foil wrapped chocolate eggs and perhaps a small toy, like a Sesame Street figure, He-Man and Masters of the Universe or a WWF Wrestler. (yes, we still have them, although many have blood drawn on their faces in red marker now). Now, they may get baskets, but they are for collecting the eggs on the hunt. Little or no candy is in the baskets. Definitely, no Wrestlers.

Difference #2,When I was young, we had real eggs, hard-boiled and dyed of course, on our Easter egg hunt. I do not think the Easter Bunny made plastic ones just yet. Those came along when L’eggs panty hose made containers for their products and put them in a container resembling an “Egg”. For the most part, we dyed some eggs when the boys were young, but we also integrated the hard-boiled dyed eggs with the colorful plastic ones you got at K-Mart or Walgreens the night before. (…because you could not find the ones you used last year!) And the plastic ones had coins in them or jelly beans. We usually didn’t “hide” them very well. If we did, the boys may not find them, and neither would we! So it didn’t take a lot to locate the hidden treasures on Easter Sunday. Now it is all plastic. And we have 75 or more of them scattered all over the backyard. Good hiding places. Tough ones. And now the boys, and girls, are even more competitive. (I can still hear Rachel telling Drew not to “play so hard” and let her get some. Or I can still see Leon doing a little jig because he uncovered a hidden find, while Tyler swoops in and gets another.) And now inside the plastic eggs, we have a different sort of lot of treats. Oh, we still have some jelly beans, some coins, some “folding money” also. But we supplement this with “coupons” for items such as Mints, Cigars, a gas card, iTunes, Gum and maybe even a pack of baseball cards or three.

Once again, fun.

Nice to have traditions, even tho’ they may evolve a bit. Things to look back on with a smile and a warm heart. Perhaps another laugh.

I recall a tradition we had while I was growing up on both Christmas and Easter. We went to my grandparents for brunch, both days. And there are two things, constants, we would always have on both holidays…and we would have plenty of both available. Polish Sausage was the first. The real stuff. Made fresh from Piekutowski’s in North St. Louis. (how is that for authentic Polish? They are still there today, although the neighborhood is a little different) Nothing else would do….no time for imitations, wanna be’s, or any other kind of substitutes. And we still have this today to celebrate Christmas and Easter for brunch.

The other item always present was “Champagne”, or something that passed for such. In St Louis, there used to be a chain of liquor stores that went by the name 905. Not sure what the 905 stood for, or why they all closed down, but sadly they did close. However it was not because my grandfather did not do his duty to keep them in business. He would buy cases of their “Champagne” and “Cold Duck”. He had a cellar with a special place for storing this stuff. And it was perpetually full! On Christmas and Easter brunch, he would go around, just like a gracious host, bottle in hand, making sure everyone’s glass was full. When the bottles were empty, he would open the back door and toss the empty bottles out on the lawn. By day’s end, it was littered with bottles of the best “Champagne” and Cold Duck 905 could sell me grandfather. And every year we would comment on it and laugh about it.

So that leads me to my comment about “Bubbles making your Easter Eggstraordinary”. Bubbles are those you can find in Sparkling wine or if you prefer, Champagne. I thought I would share a few recipes with you that have “a bubbly” effect on those who partake and that are simple enough to serve to guests on Easter Sunday, or really anytime you may want to entertain.

I suggest that all of these are served in a fluted glass. But of course, they can be enjoyed in a plastic cup if that is what you are using. I will use the term “Champagne” in each recipe, but a sparkling wine, prosecco, a spumante or something similar work fine.

.5 ounce Agave nectar (a simple syrup can also be substituted, but it is not as good)

.5 ounce fresh lime juice

Lemon zest

2 ounces of Champagne

Put the tequila, lime juice and agave nectar in a shaker and shake well for 20 seconds. Pour into fluted glass, top with champagne, stir gently and add lemon zest.

Easter Sombrero

2 ounces Blanco Tequila (see above)

1 ounce Yellow Chartreuse

.75 ounce fresh lime juice

Lemon quarter

Lemon zest

Champagne

Add Chartreuse and lime juice in a shaker with a quarter of a lemon. Muddle together. Add tequila and shake for 10-15 seconds. Strain and pour into fluted glass and add champagne, stir gently and add lemon zest.

Easter Bonnet

2 ounces Purus Vodka (I have previously spoken about why I am partial to Purus, but once you have it, you won’t need my reasons)

1.5 ounces peach brandy (Stirrings has a nice one I use)

.5 ounce lime juice

Orange quarter

Orange zest

Champagne

Add the peach brandy and the lime juice in a shaker. Muddle the orange and add the vodka. Shake well for 10-15 seconds. Strain and pour into a fluted glass. Top with Champagne, stir gently and add the orange zest.

Cracklin’ Rosie

Sugar cube (brown sugar is best)

Rose Water

Sparkling Rose` wine.

Place the sugar cube in a fluted glass. Add enough Rose Water to sufficiently soak the sugar cube. Add champagne and stir to dissolve the cube. A lemon zest is a nice touch for garnish….if desired.

I could go on and add a few more, but hopefully these will provide some ideas for you and your guests this Easter.

A properly mixed drink prepared on an occasion of celebration, with care and love, served to your guests can provide an illusion of beauty.

Easter is a nice reason to celebrate together. No illusion here.

Celebrate Easter, the season and the reason.

Celebrate each other. Traditions. Spring. Love.

And Easter egg hunts…no matter how old you are or how young you may be. Easter egg hunts are kind of like a life well lived. It doesn’t matter how many eggs you find. Or what the prizes may be. What matters is that you have one hell of a good time with those who surround you.